This invention relates to countertops, and in particular to a smooth edge for laminate countertops.
Kelley U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,435 discloses a method for making a laminate countertop with a rounded thermoplastic solid surface corner piece which smoothly fairs into the laminate on the top and front edge of the countertop. This not only eliminates the black line which normally occurs at the corner of laminate countertops, but also a rounded corner is more aesthetically pleasing and is less easily damaged. In addition, the thermoplastic solid material is tougher than the laminate so the corner is less likely to be chipped.
In the method disclosed in the '435 patent, a rectangular notch is cut in the countertop edge piece and a rectangular corner element is glued in the notch. While a rectangular notch and corner element provide joinder where the corner element is not likely to be knocked out of the notch, the rectangular notch causes a significant amount of the corner element material to be imbedded in the edge piece which increases the cost of the corner.
The subject invention overcomes this shortcoming of the prior art by placing a laminate sheet on the upper surface of a horizontal deck having an exposed vertical edge and a laminate strip on the face side of a vertical edge piece as is done in the method described in the '435 patent. However, rather than cutting a rectangular notch in the corner of the edge piece to receive the corner element as with the prior art method, a diagonal cut is made across the horizontal upper corner of the face side of the edge piece. The rectangular corner element then is glued into this diagonal cut. A diagonal cut does not need to go as deep into the edge piece as a rectangular cut would for a given amount of projection of the corner element into the laminate sheet and laminate strip. Thus, the rectangular corner element can be thinner and therefore less expensive. In a preferred embodiment, the cut is v-shaped with the apex of the v being located at the intersection of the edge piece and the laminate strip.
As with the prior art method, a corner piece can be placed at the horizontal lower corner of the edge piece in the same manner.